The invention relates to a method for mounting a flexible sheet, such as a fabric, on a receiving member, such as a shaft of a roller blind or a bottom bar thereof, so as to allow for easy disconnection and reconnection of the sheet to the receiving member.
A method for mounting flexible sheets or panels on a receiving member is described in EP 0 481 260 (A2). A strip-like element is used which has a first elongate portion connected to a flexible sheet and a second elongate portion received in a longitudinally-extending undercut groove of the receiving member. The second elongate portion includes an array of pivotably and resiliently flexible, parallel disc-shaped elements which are arranged transversely of the length of the strip-like element. The contours of the disc-shaped elements correspond to the cross-sectional shape of the undercut groove.
In order to mount a panel in accordance with EP 0 481 260 (A2), it is necessary to bend the disc-shaped members to one side so that they can then be slid into the undercut groove of the receiving member. Once mounted, the resilient disc-shaped members move back to their original position and lock the panel in the groove. It is, however, not easy to mount the disc-shaped elements initially in a groove of a receiving member or to disconnect thereafter the disc-shaped elements from the groove. This is due, at least in part, to the large number of disc-shaped elements.
In order to provide an easier method of connecting, disconnecting and then reconnecting a flexible sheet to a longitudinally-elongate receiving member, such as a roller blind shaft, for example in order clean or replace the sheet, this invention provides a method for forming a strip-like mounting element in situ on a side of the sheet comprising the steps of: providing a thermoplastic, preferably a hot-melt adhesive, in a heated state in a longitudinally-extending undercut groove of an elongate receiving member; and pressing the side of the sheet against the thermoplastic in a longitudinally-extending opening in the groove; whereby one side of the thermoplastic adheres to the sheet and an opposite side of the thermoplastic is removably positioned in the groove of the receiving member.
The strip-like mounting element can be formed during the production and assembly of a roller blind by having its shaft or bottom bar serve as the receiving member. The sheet can also be provided with the strip-like mounting element, without the roller blind shaft or bottom bar, preferably by forming the strip-like mounting element, using a mandrel having a longitudinally-extending under-cut groove, similar to the under-cut groove of the roller blind shaft or bottom bar,